Chapter 16

Just as Jiang Wang saw the small skeleton, his emotions were stirred intensely.

Whoosh!

A sharp whistling sound suddenly came.

Jiang Wang's wrist turned, and in an impossible moment, he had already raised the sword with its scabbard behind his back, blocking the sharp object that shot towards him, producing a metallic clashing sound.

Jiang Wang turned around and drew his sword in one fluid motion, catching a glimpse of the pale finger bone that had attacked him. Without time to think, his body instinctively turned again.

The little girl's skeleton on the bed had already risen into the air, the skull's mouth splitting open, lunging towards Jiang Wang to bite him!

Jiang Wang did not hesitate for a moment, delivering a powerful kick that sent the skeleton back to its original place. Then, his long sword spun several times, like a purple lightning bolt in the dark room, severing the joints of the small skeleton, which then fell back onto the bed as if it had never moved.

"Heh heh heh heh, little Taoist, you seem very angry that I killed this little girl, but her final existence was destroyed by your own hands."

The voice was sharp and piercing, yet ethereal, coming from nowhere.

This kind of illusion that can conceal one's presence is not simple, indicating that the enemy lurking in the dark had made thorough preparations.

Jiang Wang, who had not yet completed his foundation, and whose five senses were not yet open, could not yet break through this illusion. However, he was not panicked. According to the knowledge he had learned at the Daoist Academy, he had two judgments: first, the enemy's level was not very high. The reason is simple; if it were a high-level expert, they would not need to rely on an illusion and could have killed him instantly.

The second inference from this is that, limited by the enemy's strength, the level of the illusion would not be very high. Once the enemy attacked or was attacked, or even just moved, the illusion would automatically be dispelled. The evidence for this is that the enemy's first attack was only the manipulation of the skeleton, not a direct attack.

"You killed her, and you also destroyed her skeleton. Your tricks cannot shake my resolve!"

Jiang Wang moved with his sword, swiftly traversing the entire small room, the sword light almost illuminating the entire room!

The Purple Qi Sword, the first killing technique!

In the instant when the room was filled with light, all the sword light was gathered together. Jiang Wang stretched out his hand as if to grasp this ball of sword light, and delivered a straight slash!

The door, which had been closed at some point, burst open with a loud noise.

Zhang Linchuan stood outside the door, with faint lightning in his hand.

"Two skeletons outside were manipulated to rise, but I have already destroyed them. What's the situation here?" he asked.

"I was also attacked. I cannot break through his illusion, but my sword still injured him!" Jiang Wang shook his long sword, and a drop of fresh red blood dripped from the tip.

Zhang Linchuan reached out to catch the drop of blood, which hung in his palm. "With this, it won't be difficult to trace the demon's trail."

A hint of approval appeared on his face. "Junior Brother Jiang, you have done a great service on this mission."

Jiang Wang looked around but could not see any other bloodstains. "Senior Brother Zhang, the demon may not have fled yet."

Zhang Linchuan closed his palm to store the blood, closed his eyes to sense for a moment, and then shook his head. "There is no trace left."

Almost as soon as he spoke, the corpse aura that had filled the entire courtyard dissipated instantly.

"Let's go." Zhang Linchuan put away the blood. "There is no useful clue left here. Hand this drop of blood to the Deputy Dean; he is proficient in the Six Divinations and will surely be able to track down the demon."

This mission had a psychological impact on Jiang Wang like never before. Although the bandits and robbers he had encountered were also evil, they paled in comparison to the demons who would massacre entire families and even desecrate and manipulate their corpses after death.

He witnessed the cruel and cold side of the cultivation world. Extraordinary power could also bring extraordinary cruelty.

Jiang Wang wanted to look back at the little girl's skeleton but did not dare to.

At this moment, Zhang Linchuan said, "The Criminal Investigation Bureau has already investigated, but made no progress. As soon as we arrived, we encountered the demon's attack. This is very suspicious."

"Senior Brother's meaning is..."

"Hmph hmph." Zhang Linchuan sneered.

Having entered the inner gate, Jiang Wang only sought cultivation and did not want to get involved in the struggle between Dong A and Wei Qudi. But Zhang Linchuan pointed out this possibility.

Unfortunately, he still had no right to refuse.

"Junior Brother Jiang's sword technique is extraordinary, far beyond the rudimentary techniques collected by the Daoist Academy." Zhang Linchuan remarked as if unintentionally.

Jiang Wang replied, "For us Daoists, sword techniques are a minor art. Senior Brother's lightning technique is truly astonishing."

At this moment, the two skeletons in the hall and the courtyard had disappeared, leaving only a layer of ash on the ground. Jiang Wang could almost imagine the scene: the two skeletons had just been manipulated and had not even had time to move before being destroyed by the lightning technique.

"Junior Brother Jiang is too modest. Our Daoist sword techniques are not inferior to others, but unfortunately, our Fenglin City Daoist Academy lacks the expertise to guide this aspect of cultivation." Zhang Linchuan sighed.

The Daoist path also has techniques to integrate Dao into the sword, which are extremely powerful and not inferior to ordinary sword cultivators. However, they are not the mainstream, and the Fenglin City Daoist Academy does not have experts to guide this aspect of cultivation.

At this moment, Jiang Wang had no desire to speak, but he could not ignore Zhang Linchuan, so he flattered him, "With Senior Brother's talent, entering the National Daoist Academy is just a matter of time."

"Yes, just a matter of time." Zhang Linchuan suddenly sighed, standing in the courtyard and looking into the distance, towards the Qichang Mountains. "But early and late are different things. I often feel a knife stabbing me from behind, making every moment urgent."

Such a talented and refined young noble, the anxiety and sorrow in his voice were genuine.

Jiang Wang was silent. He, too, wanted to become stronger as quickly as possible, to go to the place he should have gone long ago.

Every moment is urgent.

"Beyond those mountains is the Kingdom of Yong." Zhang Linchuan said. "If the demon flees into the territory of Yong, we will not be able to catch him."

Jiang Wang, of course, knew why he said this.

The Kingdom of Zhuang has existed for over three hundred years. The founding emperor, Zhuang Chenggan, was originally a general of the Kingdom of Yong, leading troops to conquer a vast territory. Taking advantage of the opportunity when the three princes of Yong were fighting for the throne, he declared independence and established his own kingdom. He then formed alliances and established Daoism as the state religion, aligning with the powerful Jing Kingdom, which also follows the Daoist path, to solidify his rule and pass it down to the present day.

However, due to this history, the relationship between Zhuang and Yong has always been tense.

The enemies of Zhuang might be welcomed with open arms in Yong.

Jiang Wang did not comment on this, but silently followed Zhang Linchuan out of the courtyard.

Tang Dun, who was guarding the door, immediately came forward, his eyes full of expectation. "How did it go? Was the demon destroyed?"

He had just heard the commotion outside the courtyard and knew that a battle had taken place inside.

"We have a lead." Jiang Wang said, turning to look at Zhang Linchuan. "Senior Brother, can you lend me some money?"

Zhang Linchuan did not ask why and casually threw a money bag to him.

Jiang Wang weighed it slightly and took out the smallest piece of silver—originally, he wanted to take some copper coins, but Zhang Linchuan's money bag contained only gold and silver.

Jiang Wang handed the silver to the small town constable Tang Dun. "There is a little girl's skeleton inside. Please use this silver to buy a coffin and bury her. There are two piles of ashes in the courtyard, which are her parents. Bury them together."

Tang Dun's rough face was somber, but he firmly pushed Jiang Wang's hand away. "I will take care of their funeral. I cannot accept your money."

"Take it." Jiang Wang forced the silver into his hand. "Consider it a way for me to find peace."

Tang Dun's constable uniform had visible patches, indicating that his family was not well-off. Being assigned to receive him and Zhang Linchuan, who were not well-received, suggested that he was also marginalized in the government.

Unable to shake him off, he firmly grabbed Jiang Wang's hand. "I thank you on behalf of Niu'er!"

So her name was Niu'er.

The painting on the wall seemed to appear before his eyes again. She had once naively wanted to preserve a spring. But her life had never bloomed again.

Niu'er, Niu'er.

Jiang Wang silently repeated the name in his mind, as if tying a certain responsibility to his Daoist heart.